Gossip

Why is gossip so bad?

"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless." (James 1:26 ESV)

What comes out of your mouth shows what is in your heart. Gossip, criticism, flattery, lies, and profanity are not only "word" problems but "heart" problems as well.

"Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
 but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered." (Proverbs 11:13 ESV)

Gossips make poor friends. Gossips are demolition experts, trying to tear others down, while trustworthy people build others up.

"They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,.." (Romans 1:29-30 ESV)

God catalogs gossip with such sins as greed, hate, envy and murder.

"Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." (1 Timothy 5:13 ESV)

Gossiping often grows out of idleness. If you have nothing better to do than sit around talking about other people, you wind up saying things you later regret.

"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
  they go down into the inner parts of the body." (Proverbs 18:8 ESV)

Gossip hurts others. It also destroys your credibility if the gossip proves false.

How do I stop gossip?

"For lack of wood the fire goes out,
  and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases." (Proverbs 26:20 ESV)

Stop the chain of gossip with you! When you hear gossip, you can do something about it--you can decide not to spread it any further.

"then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you," (Deuteronomy 13:14 ESV)

If you are concerned about something you've heard, you must look carefully into the matter without assuming what you have been told is true. Go to the source and get the facts straight.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12 ESV)

The Golden Rule can also be applied to your speech--"Talk about others in the same way you would like them to talk about you."

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)

It's really true--what you spend most of your time thinking about is what you end up doing. When you're tempted to complain, train yourself instead to pray. When you're tempted to gossip, compliment or encourage someone instead.

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17 ESV)

If you think you may be about to gossip, ask yourself, "Does the person I'm talking to need to know this? Is it true, accurate, and helpful?"

"For whoever desires to love life
  and see good days,
 let him keep his tongue from evil
  and his lips from speaking deceit;"
 

(1 Peter 3:10 ESV)

 

Push Forward!

Those two words can be some of the hardest words we can ever do, but some of the most important as well. We have all had those days – the days that you just want to give up. Those days you wonder why you are even here. Those days you wonder why God even created you. Yes, even I have had those days. Remember, you are alive today for a reason. God is not done with your life. He has a plan and a purpose for those trials that come your way. Here are some steps to help you push forward:

1. Wake up and thank God for waking you up another day – Just being thankful for the small things in life will really help you through the difficult days.

2. Don’t let others attitude change yours unless it’s for the better – It’s true misery does love company, but don’t allow yourself to be the company.

3. Put a smile on someone’s face- There is nothing better than seeing a smile on someone’s face a knowing you put it there.

4. Realize that this “hard time” isn’t going to last – Yes, you may feel like it will last forever but it won’t. God will not allow you to be miserable the rest of your life.

5. Don’t compare your life with others- Be happy for other people’s success. Your life is YOUR life. You are successful in your own ways. God has a great plan for you and in his time things will unfold.

6. Surround yourself with positive influences: If you don’t have any positive people in your life then maybe it’s time to delete some people out of your life. Find something positive and feel encouraged that in due time this too shall pass.

PUSH FORWARD

why?

Why doesn’t God intervene more? Why doesn’t he directly feed the hungry, heal all the sick and stop all wars? If God really exists, at the very least why doesn’t he make himself more obvious?

People who ask such questions often assume that if God ever did spectacularly reveal himself, all doubts would vanish. Everyone would line up to believe in him.

Exodus tells of a time when God made himself perfectly obvious. The plagues on Egypt revealed his mighty power. An enormous miracle at the Red Sea provided sensational deliverance. A recurring miracle supplied food for the Israelites every morning. And, if questions about God’s existence arose, doubters needed only to look to the ever-present glory cloud or pillar of fire. It must have been hard to be an atheist in those days.

Yet every instance of God’s faithfulness seemed to summon up astonishing human unfaithfulness. The same Israelites who had watched God crush a pharaoh, quaked at the first sign of Egyptian chariots. Three days after a miraculous escape across the Red Sea they were grumbling to Moses and God about water supplies.

A month or so later, when hunger pangs began to gnaw at them, they bitterly complained, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Exodus 16:3). God responded with a provision of manna (that would continue for 40 years) and quail, but the Israelites were soon grousing about the water supplies again.

Break my heart

Break my heart, dear Lord,
Tear the barriers down,
Show me with, convicting tears,
The glory of Your crown.

My heart is hard, my soul so weak
The ways of evil cut so deep
I need You, Lord to come inside
And gently break my heart.

My sin is great, but I can see,
The glory set for me.
Show me Father, where to start.
And gently break my heart

Frustration

Are you frustrated about many things and sometimes everything. Being a Christian doesn't mean that we will not experience difficult times. God has told us the truth, that at times life will be difficult. He has provided to us a way to overcome these tough times, that way is found in following Jesus' teachings and surrendering our lives to Him. His peace is amazing and His love is unmatched. You can rest in trusting that He is working all things for the good. Victory through tough times comes by staying connected to other believers, reading Gods word, trusting God, praying, worshiping and staying free from sins hold through forgiveness. If you are troubled today, lift your head up and stand strong on the rock of your Savior's love for you. He has promised to never leave you.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV)